


The Mechanics of Fear

by cvtie



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Firefighter!Makoto, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Future Fic, M/M, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, PDA, Robot!Nagisa, Scientist/Mechanic!Rei, Swearing, lots of fluff in the middle, ooc nagisa at the beginning, slightly out of character nagisa
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-31
Updated: 2015-04-06
Packaged: 2018-03-04 12:35:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3068111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cvtie/pseuds/cvtie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rei Ryuugazaki is a scientist and a mechanic who works for Iwatobi Labs. He looks up to Samezuka Labs and aspires to be like the people working there. However, when he finds a scared and injured blond boy in his at-home-lab, he doesn't have time to worry about being like Samezuka, because this boy is a robot from the infamous Samezuka labs! Naming him Nagisa Hazuki, Rei has to help Nagisa learn all about this world, including how to speak and walk properly. Now, Samezuka is hunting them down, wanting their destruction machine back. Rei has to help Nagisa escape and get to safety, or risk losing a new friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, thank you for clicking on my story. This was actually a half-asleep drabble written on my phone at four am. I'm hoping this turns into something good. I have no fixed update schedule, but I will try to whenever I have time to. Nagisa is very Out of Character for the first couple of chapters, but he'll start to settle back into normal attitude soon. Thank you again! Please enjoy!

Rei awoke with a startled yell upon hearing a loud bang coming from downstairs. He looked around the room, eyes still not adjusted to the darkness. Two minutes passed, Rei was about to lie down again when a mechanical whirring rang through the walls. He frowned and threw off his blanket, a shiver running up his spine as his feet touched the cool wood of his floor. Standing up on wobbly legs, Rei reached for his glasses, slipping them on and starting towards the door. The noises got louder as he descended the stairs to the basement. As he turned the knob, all noises stopped besides the quick scurrying of something far bigger than a rat.

"H-hello?" The door creaked open. He really needed to oil the hinges again, they're noisiness was getting out of hand. "Is someone in there?" Rei was slightly scared. What if an assassin had come to kill him? Or maybe there was a giant mutant in his lab that grew from the fungus he had been experimenting on? Or maybe he had just read too many comic books in one night?

Hesitantly, Rei switched the lights on, looking away, the sudden brightness a strain on his tired eyes. He stepped inside and blinked a couple times, his gaze wandering the room.

"Hel—" A flash. Something yellow was hiding behind his work desk. A mumble. Apparently it could speak, Rei assumed. He slowly made his way towards his desk, grabbing an old metal pipe he had lying around. His breathing slowed as he kept his eyes locked on the tuft of yellow popping out from behind his desk. Rei could’ve sworn he looked like a lioness hunting for its prey, appropriate, too, since his name was so girly. He was in reach of the foreign object, still approaching.

"HYA!" Rei yelled as he brought the pipe down on the yellow thing. However, it ducked and Rei's pipe hit the desk, smashing into pieces. He dropped whatever was left of it and ran to the back of his desk.

He was about to hurt the thing, but paused when he got a clear look at it. Or rather, him. Rei's eyes widened as he looked down at the cowering naked boy, consistently muttering to himself.

"No hurt, p-please no hurt." The blond was shaking, eyes squeezed a shut.

"A boy?" Rei asked in astonishment. "H-how did you get down here? And why are you naked?" He blinked. "You're naked." He mumbled, snatching the lab coat off his chair and kneeling next to the stranger.

"N-no hurt, no hurt." The boy was shaking his head. He was lying on his side and gasped when Rei touched his shoulder.

"I won't hurt you. Please, you must be cold." Rei said to him. The blond opened his eyes, looking at Rei and slowly sitting up. He was still shaking a bit, but his gaze shifted to the floor as Rei put the lab coat over his shoulders. The boy pulled both sides of the coat around himself, not daring to look up and meet the other's eyes.

"h-help?" The boy asked quietly, finger nails digging into the fabric of the coat.

"Help?" Rei frowned. "With what?"

The boy moved his leg so Rei could see the open gash. However, it wasn't bleeding or anything. Only a few wires poking out and screws screwed in in a messy manner.

 _Wait, wires?_ Rei did a double take and grabbed the boys leg, examining it closely. "Oh my god, a robot!" He exclaimed, staring at the blond with incredibly wide eyes. "You're a robot!"

The boy nodded, still not looking up. "Help? Need fixing." He asked, unmoving.

"Oh, of course!" Rei stood up and offered him a hand, leading the limping robot to his experiment table. "I've never met a robot before." Rei spoke as he searched around his lab for equipment. He returned with everything he needed.

"Know many humans." The robot said, glancing at the blue haired repairer. "Not good."

"Not good? How so?" Rei talked as he worked, trying his best to fix the robot's leg.

"They hurt. Mean. N-no like."

"They hurt you, huh? How did you end up here?"

"Run away. Fell, leg broke. Saw opening." He pointed to the window, propped open by a large chunk of wood.

"Sneaky one, I see. Number oh-one? Is that what they called you?" Rei noticed the black markings on the robots wrist, **No. 01**.

"Yes, no name."

"No name . . . How about we make one up for you? Would you like that?" Rei watched as a smile appeared on the boy's face and he nodded in approval.

"Y'know, I used to like a girl back in grade school. Her name was Nagisa Hazuki. She had long hair, the exact same color as yours and eyes the color of melting caramel. Do you like that name, Nagisa Hazuki?"

The robot nodded again. "Nagisa . . . Hazuki!"

"That's right!" Rei laughed softly. "Nice to meet you, Nagisa, my name is Rei. Rei Ryugazaki." He held out his hand.

"M-my name . . . is N-Nagisa . . . Hazuki." The robot smiled wider, reaching for Rei's hand and shaking it.

"Well, Nagisa, I'm afraid to say your leg is beyond repair. I can find a temporary replacement for now, but I'll need to make you a brand new one if you intend to look like yourself again." Rei tapped his finger against his chin, frowning at the large tear across Nagisa's robotic leg. There were various cuts and scrapes all over his left leg, making it look unappealing. "Are you okay with that?"

"Yes." Nagisa blinked, staring at his leg. Rei began working, unscrewing everything he could find that connected the leg to his body.

"What lab did you come from?"

"Samezuka Labs."

"What? Really?" Rei exclaimed, dropping his screwdriver. "No wonder!" He looked excited.

"Hmm?" Nagisa looked puzzled.

"You're face and body! They're so hyper-realistic; no wonder you came from Samezuka." Rei took off Nagisa's leg, putting it on the table and leaving to find the prototype he was working on. "Everyone in the science and mechanics industry aspires to be like the people of Samezuka, even me." Rei continued his admiration of Samezuka as he attached the metal leg to the robot, screwing in each screw tightly. "There! All done! Can you walk?" He helped Nagisa off the table, watching the robot take a few staggering steps and nearly fall over.

"No." Nagisa straightened up, looking back at Rei.

"Not to worry, you'll get used to it." Rei walked over, carefully leading the escapee up the stairs and into his room. He sat on his bed and hit a button on the wall, the floor opening up and a second bed rising.

"What?" Nagisa cocked his head to the side, staring at the bed in front of him.

"You sleep in it. You lift the covers, get inside and go to sleep. But, this probably isn't familiar to you because you used to sleep in a pod, right?" Rei asked, pulling the blanket up to his chin. He watched as Nagisa hesitantly got under the covers, lying on his back and staring at the ceiling. "Goodnight, Nagisa." Rei yawned, closing his eyes.

"Good . . . night . . . Rei Ryugazaki . . ."

 

***

 

"Rei, who's this?" Makoto asks as he enters the kitchen. Nagisa is sitting at the table, twirling a straw around his glass of orange juice. Rei had given Nagisa some of his clothes, every piece of fabric too big on him. The robot looked like a messy child, playing with his food.

Rei looks up from the paper he was scribbling on. “Oh, Makoto, good morning, I didn't see you come in." He rubs the back of his neck nervously.

"You need to remember to lock your doors, you'll get robbed." Makoto sighs as he takes a seat in between Nagisa and Rei. "Who's this? You never told me you had a visitor."

"This is Nagisa Hazuki, he's been staying with me, he's having trouble at home." It wasn't a complete lie, but Rei still felt it was too much.

"Nice to meet you, Nagisa, I'm Makoto Tachibana. I work over at the fire station." Makoto grinned and held out his hand for Nagisa to shake.

"Hello . . ." Nagisa nodded and shook Makoto's hand. He looks down, noticing how dwarfed his hands are by the newcomer's. "Big." He says, pulling his hand away.

"Sorry?" Makoto smiles nervously.

Nagisa pointed to his hands. "Big." He looked at his own. "Small."

"He means to say that you have huge hands." Rei translated and Nagisa nodded.

"Oh," Makoto said curtly, trying not to let his discomfort show.

 _Are my hands really that big?_ He thought to himself.

"Oh, I have to get going, I'm gonna be late for work!" Rei suddenly exclaimed, jumping up from his chair and grabbing a coat and his notes.

"Work?" Nagisa asked, watching Rei gather his things.

"It's a place you go to earn money so you can buy food and clothes and stuff." Makoto explained. "Speaking of which, I need to get going, too." He stood up and ruffled Nagisa's hair. “Enjoy your stay, kiddo! Bye!"

"Bye, Nagisa!" Rei yelled before he exited, locking the door behind him.

"Bye . . . ?" Nagisa frowned. He grabbed the glass of orange juice and sucked it through the straw. He finished his breakfast hurriedly, his stomach still growling when he was done.

 

***

 

When Rei god home, Nagisa was in the living room, watching TV. He was repeating along to some of the words, frowning a little.

"Nagisa, what are you doing?" Rei asked, dropping his bag by the couch, sitting next to the robot.

"Learning, will you . . . teach me?" He had trouble forming the words, but he finally managed. Rei grinned and nodded.

"Of course I'll teach you!"

"Thank you." Nagisa said. "How was . . . work?"

"It was good; I worked on the design of the leg I promised you.” Rei looked toward the TV. He loved where he worked, but it was tiring, running around and trying to develop things to beat Samezuka.

Rei didn’t know what he was going to do about Nagisa. He was happy to have him around and teach the boy, but what if he was found out? On his way home he had already seen multiple posters with Nagisa’s face and description on them. Samezuka was offering a reward to anyone who brought Nagisa back in good condition. Of course, he would never stoop that low for money, but he was worried about his and the robot’s safety. He had taken down as many posters as he could without seeming suspicious, but he knew it wouldn’t be enough.

“Nagisa,” Rei looked over at the blond whose eyes were fixed on the TV screen. “Would you ever go back to Samezuka?”

Nagisa’s head snapped toward Rei. He shook his head violently, looking scared. “No, no, no. P-please! Don’t!” Nagisa tried to stand up, but fell over, yelping as he hit the floor.

“Oh!” Rei rose to help Nagisa up. He helped the boy sit on the couch, kneeling in front of him. His hands were shaking.

“Was it really that bad there?” Rei sighed, a hand over Nagisa’s shoulder. He received a small nod in reply. “Don’t worry,” Rei smiled softly. “You’re not going back there. You’re safe here.” Nagisa looked at the floor, nodding in approval. Rei stood up straight again. “Now, I’ve invited Makoto over for dinner. Would you like to help me cook?” He asked.

Nagisa looked up at Rei. “Yes,” He nodded, standing up shakily. Together, Rei and Nagisa went into the kitchen to prepare Nagisa’s first proper dinner.

***

That night, as Rei lay in bed, he watched Nagisa snore. Rei was a wimp, he slept with a night light that made it look like stars were all over his ceiling. The robot’s chest was rising up and sinking down at a steady pace, curled up under the blankets.

Rei wondered if robots could dream, and if they could, could they have nightmares? He knew Nagisa’s nightmares would be filled with scientists and mechanics from Samezuka. He didn’t know what those people did to him exactly, he couldn’t speak well enough yet, but Rei made a mental note to ask Nagisa later on.

 _Samezuka Labs_.

Ever since Rei was a child he’d wanted to work at Samezuka Labs. Sure, Iwatobi Labs was pretty good, but Samezuka beat them at everything. Now that he had Nagisa with him, he was second guessing himself. If they really treated their other creations like they treated Nagisa, a boy with _feeling_ , a boy who could _feel pain_ , were they any better than monsters? If Nagisa is the first, there could be a whole row of new robots behind him, all being treated like shit and stepped on.

Rei’s eyes burned. He couldn’t tell whether it was his utter exhaustion or the tears he didn’t bother wiping away. He turned over on his side and stared at his curtains until he drifted off to sleep.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Nagisa becomes cuter and a certain redhead in introduced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the amount of reads and kudos already! I know I've put off posting this for a long time, but school takes up most of my time. I hope to post more once summer comes around!

Nagisa wasn't sure how he felt about the crowd. He was surrounded by people of all shapes and sizes, none of them paying attention to him, but he still felt uncomfortable. Rei was right next to him, mindlessly navigating through the mass of people to where they needed to go. These pathways confused Nagisa.

 

He had sunglasses over his eyes and a hat over his head. Rei said it was for protection, but he didn't see the him wearing anything of the sort. The hat was a good way to keep his head from becoming cold in the fall wind, though.

 

Nagisa held onto Rei's arm in fear of losing sight of him. He didn't know what he'd do if he lost Rei in the crowd, someone was bound to take him back to Samezuka.

 

"Where are we . . . going?" It still took a couple seconds for Nagisa to form the words correctly. He had been practicing with Rei over the dinner table every night since the time he had been found. He had grown accustomed to the new leg with help from Rei whenever he needed to walk.

 

"A café, we were invited by Makoto to spend an hour or two with him." Rei smiled down at Nagisa. He pushed the red frames up his nose, fixing their position. Nagisa nodded. He liked Makoto. The fireman's hands were amusing to him.

 

He looked around again, the crowd was dispersing quickly, allow him a sigh of relief. Seeing each person doing something different was a completely new idea to Nagisa. He was used to seeing the same daily white robes and wrenches at Samezuka. Now, he saw much more. One person reading a book in line, another carrying a briefcase and hurrying along. Nagisa's gaze drifted to a couple by a light post. The boy was obviously teasing the girl, making her laugh. He smiled and kissed her lips, taking her hands in his. Nagisa liked their interaction, he enjoyed the way two people could be so close to each other, physically and mentally. He looked up at Rei, noticing his wandering eyes. The Iwatobi scientist had spiked Nagisa's interest, he was sure to stick around for a bit.

 

"Ah, there he is!" Rei's eyes lit up upon spotting his friend. He dragged Nagisa along, maneuvering his way through people until they were standing in front of Makoto.

 

“Rei, you made it!” Makoto exclaimed, rising from his seat. Although Nagisa was familiar with him, the robot still hid behind Rei. Makoto noticed and smiled politely, holding out his hand. “Hello, Nagisa.”

 

Nagisa looked at his hand once, reaching out and shaking it. Makoto chuckled and sat back down, letting Rei and Nagisa grab chairs for themselves. They were engaged in conversation almost instantly. Truth be told, Nagisa felt a little left out. He didn’t go to work; he tried to help around the house. Hell, he could barely speak properly and had trouble walking; of course they’d be disinterested in him. He stared at his feet and the shoes that were a little too large for him and threatened to fall off.

 

“Wait, you invited her?” Rei asked suddenly, fingers tightening around the freshly ordered coffee. Nagisa looked up, noticing a guilty look on Makoto’s face.

 

“Y-Yeah, I thought it would be good if she got acquainted with Nagisa, that way he wouldn’t be too lonely when you’re at work.” Makoto rubbed the back of his neck.

 

Rei sighed in exasperation, but nodded. “I suppose you’re right.” He looked over at Nagisa. “I guess you do get lonely, huh?”

 

Nagisa shrugged. Did he get lonely? He never noticed, he was always too busy watching television and flipping through books. He wanted to perfect the language others spoke around him, and all he could do when Rei wasn’t home was practice on his own. But he did feel bored when the programs repeated themselves, having someone to talk to wouldn’t be all that bad.

 

“Speaking of which, here she comes now.” Makoto nodded behind Rei, waving.

 

Nagisa turned around to see a girl walking toward them. She had reddish-purple hair that blew in the wind as she approached. She was bundled up properly, with big eyes that shone brightly. Nagisa’s eyes grew wider; she was really pretty.

 

“Hello!” She grinned when was standing in front of Makoto. “I’m here!”

 

“Kou-chan, how are you?” Makoto gave her a quick hug, turning back to face Rei and Nagisa while she dragged over a chair from another table.

 

“I’m good, the train was extremely crowded; very stinky.” She made a face, her eyes shifted toward the blond boy staring at the cup of coffee in front of him. “So . . .” she said in a suggestive tone. “You wanted me to meet someone?”

 

“Actually, yes,” Makoto motioned to get Nagisa’s attention. He lifted his head shyly, eyes darting from the girl to the fireman. “Kou-chan, this is Nagisa. Nagisa, this his Gou, but she goes by Kou.”

 

She looked at him expectantly, her eyes glinting. Nagisa lifted a hand, his gaze shifting around. “H-Hello, G-Kou.” He said quietly, forcing his hand to wave softly. He didn’t want to look at her face, his cheeks reddening.

 

“Oh my god, Mako-chan, you never said he would be so cute!” Kou squeaked when Nagisa spoke. Nagisa blushed upon hearing that, dropping his gaze to his lap and hunching his shoulders. Had she just called Makoto _chan_?

 

“Ah, Kou-chan, no need to add the honorific; better if you didn’t, just Makoto is fine.”

 

Nagisa frowned, watching them from behind the hair falling over his eyes. He listened to the three conversing amongst themselves, muttering to himself over and over. “Chan  . . .”

 

On the walk home, Nagisa kept close to Rei, absorbing the scientist’s body heat. Rei was rambling about the prototype leg he was working on for Nagisa and how well it was coming out. The blond wasn’t exactly paying attention. He could hear what Rei was saying but it went in one ear and out the other. Nagisa was too busy looking at the flyers with his face plastered all over them. Seeing the Samezuka Labs logo at the bottom of the page sent shivers up his spine. He could almost feel the pain again, the emotionless faces of all the scientists as they jotted down notes on his reactions.

 

“Nagisa, are you okay?” Rei’s voice broke the robot’s thoughts. He was looking down at the boy, a concerned look on his face.

 

Nagisa’s attention returned and he looked up at Rei. He was hugging his body and, upon further inspection, realized a tear had slid down his face. They had stopped in the middle of a moving crowd, getting accusatory stares from everyone around them.

 

“What’s the matter?” Rei asked, kneeling to get to Nagisa’s level. The blond looked away, his gaze landing on the flyer yet again. Rei followed where Nagisa looked. “Oh . . .” He stood straight again, sighing softly. He smiled apologetically, placing a hand atop fair hair. “Come on, don’t worry about anything right now.”

 

They walked on, and when Nagisa looked behind him, the flyer was gone, his face no longer flaunting itself on the wall for the world to see. The entire walk home his mind was haunted by thoughts of Samezuka and how glad he was to have escaped.

 

~*~

 

Nagisa stood by the stove, looking at the food cooking in the pot. It was aromatic and Nagisa could feel his mouth watering, wanting to taste it. He smiled at it, sighing happily as Rei walked by.

 

“Like it?” Rei asked, leaning against the counter and watching Nagisa closely.

 

The robot looked over and grinned. Rei had noticed him smiling a lot more than he did before. His words were less jumbled and his vocabulary had grown a lot more. Ever since Kou had begun spending time with him when Rei was at work, he had become more sociable and much perkier. Rei was glad to see the obvious change, he was happy Nagisa was in a positive environment.

 

He didn’t know what exactly happened at Samezuka that scarred Nagisa so much, and he didn’t want to ruin the boy’s joyous mood by asking either. He had contemplated all the possible things that could’ve happened but he never came to a conclusion.

 

His thought process was broken by Nagisa speaking.

 

“What is it Rei-chan?” Nagisa was standing with his hands clasped behind his back, a friendly expression on his face.  


Rei’s eyes grew wider and he could feel his cheeks heating up. He took a step back and stared at the innocent blond in front of him. “W-What . . . ? Chan?”

 

Nagisa’s smile faded and his gaze dropped to the floor, his shoulder’s drooping slightly. “Um, I heard Kou-chan call Makoto that . . . and it sounded nice . . . s-so I thought . . .” He mumbled, too scared to see what kind of face Rei was making.

 

The scientist’s neck and cheeks were as red as they could get. He was chewing on his knuckle, thinking of a way to respond but his mind was completely blank. He didn’t want to hurt the boy by telling him to stop. Did he want Nagisa to stop? He was sure he had felt the slightest twinge of endearment upon hearing Nagisa speak, but maybe it was just embarrassment. He was unsure what to think.

 

“I—um . . . I’ll just  . . .” Nagisa’s eyes were darting everywhere, avoiding looking at Rei. He turned on his heel and ran off, climbing the stairs as fast as he could and shut the bedroom door behind him. Rei had to take a minute and sit down to get his mind to calm down and his thoughts to stop racing.

 

Nagisa hugged his knees as he sat on the bed. He had completely embarrassed himself, how was he to face Rei again? He had thought it was a cute, harmless name . . .

 

The blond picked up the old cellphone Rei had given him. He had apologized for not giving him a newer model, not that Nagisa cared. A cellphone was a cellphone, no matter how old it was and it didn’t bother him that the only functions it had were to call and text.

 

He scrolled down to Kou’s name and began a new text.

 

**To: Kou Matsuoka (06:27 PM)**

**“Kou-chan I think he hates me.”**

It wasn’t long before she had texted back and they were engaged in a full conversation.

 

**From: Kou Matsuoka (06:30 PM)**

**“what?? impossible!! did u call him by the name yet??”**

**To: Kou Matsuoka (06:32 PM)**

**“I did, and he didn’t say a word to me. I think he hates me now. But it’s just a name, right?”**

**From: Kou Matsuoka (06:35 PM)**

**“was his face all red ?”**

**To: Kou Matsuoka (06:38 PM)**

**“Yes.”**

**From: Kou Matsuoka (06:41 PM)**

**“AW!!! listen, he doesnt hate u, just keep callin him by that name, he probs likes it tbh.”**

**To: Kou Matsuoka (06:44 PM)**

**“If you say so.”**

Nagisa put the phone down on the bed and hugged his knees to his chest. He didn’t know why he was making such a big deal out of this; it was just a silly name. But Nagisa wanted Rei to accept him. He knew that if Rei got bored of him or disliked him, he would end up on the streets. People from Samezuka would find him again and they’d drag him back to the hell he escaped from.

 

He was reluctant to come downstairs, but he eventually tip-toed down to face Rei. He found the scientist sitting in front of the TV, eating the food he had previously cooked. He didn’t notice Nagisa until the blond sat right next to him, making him jump a little.

 

“Oh, Nagisa!” Rei exclaimed, nearly dropping his food in his lap. He straightened up and avoided eye contact.

 

“I can stop calling you that, if you’d like.” Nagisa spoke softly, staring up at Rei’s face. His own was particularly emotionless, but he was slightly nervous inside.

 

“H-Huh?”

 

“I can stop calling you Rei-chan. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable in any way.”

 

Rei seemed to be thinking. He looked distracted and didn’t answer for a while. “It’s okay.” He mumbled eventually. “I don’t mind if you call me that . . .”

 

Nagisa immediately perked up, he grinned and patted Rei’s shoulder. “Alright, then, Rei-chan!”

 

Rei looked away, but not before Nagisa caught the redness of his cheeks and smiled.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave critiques if you won't mind! I'm open to any ideas! Thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Once again, I have no idea when I'll be updating this, but please stick around. I'll surely inform you if I'm going on hiatus or discontinuing the story of anything of the sort. Thank you!


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